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Today's story by Ken Gallinger the Toronto Star's "Ethically speaking columnist" is, well highly unethical. At best its lazy journalism. Worst case its a mainstream writer using his bully pulpit to amplify hate and fear of transgender people. The headline misgendering trans woman combined with the accompany image and an absence of sourcing or anything indicating this as an alleged occurrence gives the accusations of the alleged victim validity.

A cisgendger woman wrote to him about an alleged occurrence in a dressing room that if true would invoke the wrath of trans people as well as cisgender.

"I am a senior woman. Recently, a “man” claiming to be transgender, who had not yet begun physical treatments, was permitted by our local Y to use the women’s locker room. There are no secure change rooms. The person they allowed in was not courteous and stared at me while I struggled out of a wet bathing suit. He was naked, had an erection and playfully asked ‘do you come here often?’ I understand that gender is no longer judged solely by genitalia, but does a brief contact with the duty manager mean that men not yet committed to gender reassignment are free to disrobe anywhere they choose?"

Gallinger then goes on to state law and his opinion never once questioning the validity of the story or supplying interviews with witnesses or the Y's manager. As a sister Journalist and one with an agenda I am aware of the importance of journalistic integrity, obviously not an issue for Mr. Gallinger.

1 comment:

The headline now reads "Transgender woman". But there is still no attempt to fact check the original claim, even though the article does briefly consider the possibility that the person in question was not actually a trans woman but merely a sex offender getting his kicks.